Hard Lessons (continued from another story)
by Cassandrala
Summary: Finishing chapters from another story. Tragedy has struck the Durin household when a dwarf has made Kili the victim of his violent frustration, claiming to be teaching Fili a lesson in true suffering. Can Kili recover from his wounds? Will Fili be forgiving or merciless when faced with his brother's attacker? And will spring finally rescue the starving dwarves inside of Erebor?
1. Chapter 1- Compassion

_I recently read a well-written fan fic, but was disappointed when I saw that the writer hadn't updated it for months- along with the 50+ reviews with readers all asking for the writer to continue. I understand getting into a rut and not wanting to continue a story so I wrote up a chapter to follow it (and will possibly write one more after this one to wrap up the story altogether).** If you want to read the original first two chapters: ******"Lessons" by Goody-Goodie****_

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****HARD LESSONS****

_****-Chapter 1- Relief-****_

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* * *

Fili had expected everyone to argue with him when he insisted on remaining with Kili in the room Oin had provided, but to his surprise they accommodated him with a rolled-up padding normally used for camping. His uncle held the rounded bundle in his arms, stepping quietly on the wooden floorboards and untying the straps. He promised Fili they would bring something better, a cot, whenever they could manage.

Dis carried a mug of soup in her right hand and steadied herself on the doorway post with the other. Fili could tell it was hard for her to see Kili like this and could almost hear her heartbeat speed up every time she entered the room, the shock almost as fresh as the first time.

Sitting up against the side-table next to the bed with his legs crossed on the padding, Fili clutched at a book.

Dis' eyebrows wrinkled together and Fili could see that she was asking herself what she was capable of doing: Did she really have it in her to sleep? Or was she wound too tightly and needed something to do? Either way, they both felt horrible for imposing on Oin—the whole Durin lineage would camp in the dwarf's house given permission and they didn't want to overwhelm the old doctor. Two was enough… especially when Fili would provide a better watchman than anyone else.

"Please," Dis murmured, taking a few steps to place a trembling hand on Fili's shoulder and stooping to kiss his brow. "For any reason at all, you'll send for me, won't you?"

"I will, mum," he said with his lips brushing her cheek.

Watching her rip herself away quickly, he heard the door close behind her with a timid _click_.

* * *

The next few days were filled with random visitors, inspections from Oin, food brought in by his mother, and eventually a demanding Thorin who told him to get out of the stifling room to get some air, even if just for a few minutes.

At first, Fili had started a joke about how dwarves were built to withstand stifling conditions, living deep in the mountains a majority of the time, but his uncle took it as an argument and hauled the lad out of the room with a hefty hand on the younger dwarf's collar, the door closing behind him solidly.

Dis, who was reading just outside the doorway in a chair, blinked and cocked her head sideways in confusion on seeing Fili dumped outside the room.

"I guess I'm going outside for a little air." Fili raised his eyebrows and started moving away from the room he'd just been thrown (literally) out of. He halted for a moment, glanced sideways at his mother, and held out an arm to her. "Would you like to come with me?"

Fili watched his mother eye the offered arm in thought. She then accepted it, slipping her hand in the crook of Fili's elbow and standing closely side by side while he guided her through Oin's home and through a corridor to a balcony on the mountainside.

The railing of the balcony was stone and the tiles were ornately carved in dwarf rhunes, but the slick ice that covered the balcony reflected the light blue of the midday sky. The overcast clouds had diminished, causing Fili to hope that perhaps an early spring would soon be upon them. It was owed to them and their people after all they had suffered through…

It took a moment for Fili to realize just how much his lungs needed the cool, clean air of the outside world, clearing his head enough to speak his mind.

He edged along the railing, steadying himself and his mother, trying not to slip.

"Mother…" he began somewhat solemnly. "Something Nolin said… I've been thinking on it."

Dis rigidly turned her body to face her son, letting go of his arm and reaching out a hand to the balcony railing.

"He said 'the line that saw our kingdom fall remains fat while we starve', and then he told me our suffering was not as great as his." Fili paused a moment, letting Dis chew on what he'd said and hoping not to overwhelm her. A question burned inside of him like a hot fever that not even the snowy cold could quench. "Our family has seen better days, surely, and we try to help… but are we doing _enough_?"

Dis' mouth dropped open and her thoughts were a jumble, all trying to get out at the same time, but Fili put a hand on her shoulder to calm her and spoke on.

"What I mean to say is that when Nolin said this, when he—" Fili swallowed "—when he beat Kili, he told me it was a lesson… that I didn't know true suffering for myself."

"He was wrong." Dis growled.

"He was _hurting_," Fili interjected. "I have been hating him all these long days of sitting in Kili's room, but then I remember the look on his face when he said it and I can't help but pity him. Has he lost someone?"

"I don't know," Dis shook her head. "Neither do I care, he's made himself a criminal with what he's done and unworthy of your sympathy."

Fili's eyebrows rose and he breathed out a cloudy breath of warm fog. This was certainly the roles being reversed—his mother usually admonished empathy, even to those she said might be perceived as undeserving. _His_ reaction was always assessment of their motives, with a touch of impatience; but now he peered into Nolin's soul, trying to understand what could have driven the dwarf to the offense of beating an Erebor Prince.

"It was a completely irrational act," Fili agreed, resisting his desire to use stronger words. "But he would not have been so careless unless it was born of a broken heart. And I care not for Nolin—" He glanced at her, hoping to catch her eyes and assure her of his true sentiment, but she would not raise her scowl from the ground. "—I mean to see that our people are cared for, and if the worst of us is Nolin, committing such a horrible deed in his pain, then perhaps even the meekest of us are distressing in silence."

Now Dis raised her head, her eyes traveling to Fili's coat before meeting his eyes.

"I never asked for it, but I learned the hopelessness of watching someone I love fall and not being able to help them. It broke me, twisted up my insides—"

"Fili." Dis said in a halting voice. He knew she understood, but that she could not bear to hear any more of her sons in pain. "What would you have us do? Provision is the problem—how do we tend to an entire mountain with a few deer? How do we purchase flour and oil when no one will sell it for fear of taking from their own stock? You see the spring coming through—" she waved her hand at the blue sky, a hint of yellow staining the few clouds. "—all we can do is wait."

"There must be something—"

"When you have come up with a solution, your uncle and I would be glad to hear it." Dis murmured dejectedly. "But if there is one thing that satisfies me in all of this, it is that Thorin's heir has shown himself to be a compassionate leader."

Fili broke his gaze with the forest below and turned his head to his mother.

"Your enemy hurt you in the worst possible way, yet you still seek to understand why he did it and how to relieve him of the burden of starvation. Woe has not reduced you to weeping, it has strengthened your resolve to help others. This is necessary for a good King." She squeezed his shoulder and crossed her arms, stepping slowly back inside and leaving her son to his thoughts.

Fili stayed for a moment, stooping over the railing, hands clutching at it, and looking out at the forest.

"Mahal, isn't there _something_ we can do?" He asked no one. The aching chill had returned to his bones, and he grumbled that he should not be so susceptible to cold, even if he _had_ almost frozen to death only days ago.

Pulling his arms around his chest, he returned to the corridor, telling himself he'd had enough fresh air to tide him over a few more days. Fili didn't mind being a sentry at his brother's bed a few more days, but he hoped Kili would recover such that it wouldn't be necessary…

Fili strode through the halls when he thought on the instances when Kili had shown signs of consciousness, though they were few. He wouldn't speak, wouldn't open his eyes, wouldn't move his body. There was one thing that brought Fili hope: his brother had been able to open his mouth ever so much and swallow spoonful after spoonful of soup. After having gone the first two days without food, Fili panicked that Kili's recovery would falter. It was a desperate chance they took, tentatively dripping the broth into his mouth at first, but he responded to it with small gulps.

Oin was gratified that they were able to feed Kili at all. Each day since he'd been beaten had been full of heavier despair than the day before it, mounting to panic on that third day. But now their fear was quenched and hope was strong among all who came to see that the dwarf prince at least had some color to his skin.

The dwarf doctor was just ascending the stairs with a bowl of soup when Fili halted him and offered to take it up. Oin shrugged, handed him the bowl, and retreated to his dining area where a few others sat.

Careful not to spill its contents while climbing the stairs, Fili cradled the broth with both hands, hissing when the hot contents stung a finger. He noted that the broth was more watery than usual and Fili wondered if Oin's pantry was becoming bare. Fili would remedy that as soon as he could.

Fili tapped the door with the toe of his boot, hesitant to balance the bowl of soup in one hand, and the door opened a few inches to reveal the tired face of his uncle.

Entering the room with soft footfalls, he paused a moment above the bed, looking down at the pair of eyes he saw were open. Well, _one_ of them was open while the other one was pressed closed by swelling, though it was not as puffy as it had been a few days ago.

"Hello, there," Fili smiled, setting the bowl down and gripping his brother's good hand.

Kili pursed his lips in reply, slightly nodding his head.

"I leave, for one moment," Fili grunted, pulling a chair beside the bed and sitting in it, "and you decide to wake up?"

Thorin, not having left the room, stood with his arms crossed at the foot of the bed and a wide grin. "He's not been awake long."

Glancing at his uncle and then back to his brother, Fili brushed a hair away from Kili's forehead. "Can you speak?"

The reply was a closing of his eye and a huff through his nose with no movement of the lad's mouth, only a tightening of his lips. When his eye opened again, it was starting to collect a tear.

"Nevermind about that," Fili shook his head. "I've got soup for you."

Fili turned to retrieve the bowl, but was startled by a hissing sound. Turning back to his brother, he realized the sound came from Kili's mouth.

"Mmss…Mm…" Kili clamped his eye shut for a moment, and then opened it again, this time his swollen eye opening a little. "Em srry."

"You're sorry?"

Kili nodded his head.

Fili snorted, locking eyes with Thorin a moment before squeezing Kili's shoulder. "You've nothing to be sorry for." And then, hoping to distract him, added, "I just need you to eat."

Kili rolled his eyes, huffing with his nose again. It sunk Fili's heart to see his little brother in this state, but it stung even more so that after days of being unconscious Kili's first words had been an apology. This struck a sharp feeling in Fili's innards and he struggled not to tremble while he spooned broth into his brother's mouth, little bit by little bit. Not much of the broth was consumed, but enough to satisfy both Thorin and Fili, understanding the difficulty Kili had in swallowing even that meager amount.

The bowl passed to the hands of Kili's waiting uncle, who retreated with it through the door.

Fili resumed his position beside the injured dwarf's bed, propping his feet against the frame and leaning back in the chair, noticing a grimace on the lad's face. He couldn't imagine which pain his brother was dealing with, the injuries to his ribs, his hand, his head, even his jaw which spoke for the inability to eat much-Or was it the memory of freezing in the snow, being beaten, or trying to reach a knife that had been three feet away although it had probably felt like a hundred feet?

"Hand. Hand hurts." Kili murmured without moving much of his mouth.

"As it should," Fili sighed. "I'm not sure what you remember and what you don't, but your hand was crushed." He didn't add the name of the repulsive dwarf who did it, knowing that it would open the floodgates of fury he was reserving for proper use later.

The younger lad's eyes traveled to Fili. "Yr mkay?"

"What?" Fili leaned forward.

"Y… You." Kili let out a frustrated breath through is lips. "You… hurt?"

Fili's eyes brimmed with wetness, and he clenched his forehead in his hand. "No, I'm fine. Stop being so considerate." Only Kili could be worried about someone else when his own injuries were substantial.

Kili shifted in the bed, stretching his legs and shifting his head to face the other way, but not before uttering. "Shtup…do wt I wnt."


	2. Chapter 2 -- He Stole Something From Me

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**HARD LESSONS**

_**\- Chapter 2 Pessimism-**_

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* * *

Kili's health seemed to be improving, but there was something about his spirit that seemed more broken than even his body. Gone was the carefree and humorous composure from before, replaced with something more cynical and abrasive until Fili began to wonder if it was really Kili that had woken up and not someone else in possession of his brother's body.

"The weather is warming up a bit," Fili said errantly as he sat with his arms crossed on a chair beside the bed. He didn't expect Kili to respond, the younger dwarf had barely put two words together in the three days since he'd first been awake, and Fili sensed that it really had nothing to do with how hurt Kili's jaw was.

"Uncle says that with the way the snow is melting, the beavers should be out soon." Fili continued, tapping his pipe against the side table. "We'll be setting traps along the river and tapping a few of the trees for sap. At this point, we'll be setting so many snares along the base of the mountain that if anyone approaches, they're sure to be skinned and cooked and thrown into stew before they knew what hit them."

He waited for a laugh or at the least a huff of air—something, anything!—but Kili stayed still, glaring toward the ceiling. If Fili hadn't seen the rise and fall of his brother's chest, he could have sworn the dwarf had died with his eyes open.

Setting his pipe aside, Fili turned in his chair to face Kili, bending over so that his elbows rested against his knees and leaning to peer close to Kili's face. Kili glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, but then turned his focus again to the ceiling.

"I wish I knew what was going on in that head." Fili whispered. "You almost never speak. When you do, it's a curt reply or a curse. If you won't say anything to me then at least say something to our mother."

An irritated sigh left Kili's nostrils.

"If you're angry with me for not defending you better, I can live with that." Fili said through grinding teeth. Kili's head finally turned to face him. "And I'll spend every day for the rest of my life earning your forgiveness for it—but mother has done nothing to deserve the silence you inflict on her."

"I'm not angry with you." Kili muttered, taking in a shaky breath.

"It's an easy assumption with the way you look at me every time I come to see you."

"Not angry." Kili repeated, face contorting with pain. Fili's heart twisted in agony as he watched his brother's expression, wanting to hold his brother and assure him that everything would be fine—but that was a comfort he couldn't give, not with Kili's body still bruised and broken the way it was. Fili was desperate, though, and latched onto Kili's right hand, gripping it with both of his and waiting for Kili to speak again.

"Nolin." Kili growled, as though it were explanation enough.

"He's been tried and imprisoned." Fili said in as sturdy a voice as he could manage. "He would have been executed, but that was dependent on how things turned out with you."

"Were you there?" Kili asked with closed eyes.

"I didn't want to go, but it was either that or drag your bed into the council-room."

There was a heavy silence for a moment, each assessing the other's reaction. Fili had hated that day, knowing that he would be walking into the trial wanting Nolin's blood… but the council had made their determination and King Thorin had agreed despite wanting to execute justice with his own hands.

"He stole something from me."

Fili paused. "I don't understand."

"My hand." Kili croaked through the beginnings of tears. Raising his injured hand in emphasis, Kili took in a sharp breath before he continued. "Oin tells me it was crushed. Might not mend. Might not ever be able to shoot again."

With his fears laid bare, Kili turned away, rolling onto his side and burrowing his face into the pillow. Fili felt a wave of anger roll through his innards when he considered that the injustice heaped upon his younger brother had just built to a height that neither of them could face alone…

"We have a while yet to confirm that," He said with a false hope. He didn't need to see Kili's face to know that the younger dwarf didn't believe him, that he knew it was a lie. "Until then, you just need to heal."


	3. Chapter 3 -- Spring Comes

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**HARD LESSONS**

_**\- Chapter 3 - Spring Comes-**_

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_"Fuel to Fire" Agnes Obel_

* * *

The Lonely Mountain seemed to breathe a sigh of relief as the warmth of an early spring swept over the land, bringing with it greenery Fili never imagined it could possess. It would still be some time before the earth could yield its produce, but the flora served as a food source for the animals that came out of hiding—and that meant trappers and game.

Fili dedicated himself to whatever effort best served his people, offering his trapping services to his uncle. But trapping meant waiting and waiting did not serve as a distraction from his watch over his younger brother.

Kili's mood did not improve—the younger dwarf seemed intent on finding the bad in everything, in pointing out the evils in even the smallest of actions and Fili had waded through the first weeks of despair with patience and grace. The weeks following that, Fili found that his sources of optimism were draining and that he, too, was succumbing to the dreary cloud which hung over Kili. Distance, Fili mused, might do them both a little good—an opportunity for Fili to regain his optimism and help out where he could, and the possibility that Kili would come out of his angry stupor eventually.

Dis seemed to be the only one who could prompt a smile from her son, but Fili began to see after a while that even those smiles were staged—perhaps a sense of obligation rather than a genuine effort to be happy with her—though Dis was content just to have her sons alive and well.

It wasn't until one afternoon that Fili finally understood the source of the upset in his younger brother. Having completed his duties earlier than normal and coming back to their home—where Kili had finally been well enough to return to—Fili walked with soft footsteps to peer into his brother's room.

There the archer sat upon his bed, brushing his fingers along his bow and gripping the middle with his injured hand. Fili could recount the first instance Kili had tested his ability to wield the weapon—ending in disaster and harsh reality. The bones in Kili's fingers had knitted awkwardly so that he could not bend them properly and they would never regain their old dexterity. The only alternative to leaving them as they were was to re-break them, hope they would heal more correctly than before and risk not being able to use his hand at all, an option none of them was willing to endure.

Fili stood with his forehead against the doorpost, recalling his poor efforts at encouraging Kili:

"_It's not a complete loss," Fili had said with a smile despite his despair. "You still have your sword hand."_

"_Can't braid." Kili grumbled._

"_You shouldn't need to," Fili snorted, clapping his hand on Kili's back. "You said you weren't interested in the lasses; I'm assuming that includes their hair."_

"_Whether I wanted it or not, can't do it now." Kili said in a broken sentence._

Fili wanted Kili to acknowledge that it could have been much worse—that having the use of his right hand was enough and he was already a great swordsman—but he couldn't deny that the bow had made Kili unique. And now he would never use it again.

But Fili's mind was working furiously and he began to stomp away from the room. _No_, he thought,_ we will figure out a way past this—there are ways and, by Mahal, I'm going to find them!_

"Fili." He heard from behind. Fili turned and realized his footsteps which had been so quiet before had become louder with his thoughts, alerting Kili to his presence. "Fili, come back."

Reluctantly, Fili made his way back to the room and cracked the door open wider, holding his breath and waiting for the despondent remarks to begin.

"Fili," Kili said with a hanging head, still clinging to the bow. "I've been so foul lately."

Fili's eyebrows rose. He hadn't been expecting that.

"I've been so bitter," Kili said with a shake of his head. "And I've been taking it out on the ones who have been taking care of me. That doesn't make much sense, does it?"

He didn't answer, but Fili felt his blood rushing as he listened to the words he thought he'd never hear.

"I love you." Kili said with a grimace. Kili was never one to show his sentimentality so openly and Fili's heart jolted and expanded. "I don't deserve your forgiveness, but I thought I'd ask for it all the same. I'm sorry. I'm going to start pressing forward—I'm going to make myself useful again."

Fili coughed and shifted his weight, trying to hide the immense joy he knew would overwhelm Kili if he let it out.

"Always apologizing." Fili grinned. "You've got to stop that." But with a more sober expression, he added, "Of course I forgive you. Nothing you say or do will ever make me turn my back on you. I might need some space," He rolled his eyes, "but I'll never abandon you. Not ever."

Kneeling before his brother and resting a hand over the bow, Fili added, "And certainly not now."

Kili nodded, eyes becoming moist though he looked to be fighting the tears. "Thank you."

"It's just, uh…" Fili's brow scrunched with determination. "I need to borrow this." He pointed at the bow.

Kili's eyes went wide. "Don't tell me you've decided to take up archery."

"No," Fili laughed, lifting the bow into his hands and looking it up and down. "I've got other mischief planned for this." With a hand reaching out to Kili, Fili pulled the dwarf to his feet before asking, "Do you still have that plaster hand cast Oin took off of you about a week ago?"

Kili nodded, retrieving it from a drawer. "You're collecting all sorts of oddities today. Do I get to ask what these are for?"

"No," Fili said with a wicked grin and a gleam in his eye. "You'll just have to be patient."

Handing the plaster cast to Fili, Kili looked longingly at the bow. "Just... promise me you won't destroy it."

"Nadadith, I would never do such a thing," He said in horror. His expression softened and he winked at Kili, placing a hand on the younger dwarf's shoulder. "Just be patient."


	4. Chapter 4 -- Contributions

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**HARD LESSONS**

_**-Chapter 4 – Contributions-**_

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* * *

_"Dorian" Agnes Obel_

* * *

"Balin," Fili called as he trotted toward the dwarf in the library. "I need your help with something."

"Certainly, lad," The older dwarf said as he set down his book. "What can I do for you?"

Fili took in a steady breath, closing his eyes. "I need a book." He opened his eyes to see his mentor's brows rise.

"A book concerning…?"

"The mechanisms of the front gate of Erebor." Fili answered simply.

"The opening mechanisms or the weighting engineering?" Balin asked as he led Fili down a library aisle.

"I need to understand the weight distribution and how to replicate it on a smaller scale."

With a grin and a nod, Balin reached for a book on one of the higher shelves, stepping back when Fili offered to grab it for him.

"This is the one you'll need." Balin rubbed the red, leather cover affectionately. He turned to face Fili and placed his hands on his hips, fixing Fili with a scrutinizing eye. "Why so interested in engineering, lad?"

When Fili explained himself and what he was trying to accomplish, Balin wrapped Fili in a strong embrace and shook his shoulders.

"Mahal's blessings, lad… I hope this works."

"So do I." Fili said nervously as he gripped the red book.

* * *

"Your hammer strokes will need to be precise," Thorin said, stepping up behind Fili as the blonde dwarf stood in front of his smithing workbench. "The plaster won't have given you a perfect measurement, but it will turn out better than guess-work."

Fili turned his attention to the oven beside the bench, bringing it to a blaze that made the two dwarves sweat uncomfortably.

"You'll be needing this," Thorin said with a smile as he handed Fili a box.

The younger dwarf stared at the box questioningly and tipped the lid to look inside. When he saw what was in it, he staggered backward and gaped at Thorin.

"Where did you get this?"

Thorin laughed, crossing his arms over his chest. "You think that the King of Erebor can't send for Moria mithril at a moment's notice?"

"I know you could, I just didn't know you would." Fili said, stepping closer to the box and looking in as though to confirm it was truly there. "I never expected that you'd—"

"You're not the only one that wants to see that lad smile again." Thorin said, lifting the mithril out of the box and planting a few pieces of the precious metal into a melting pot. "You and your brother are worth more to me than this whole mountain."

Fili shuddered as the weight of his uncle's words sunk in. When he'd first planned out this project, he hadn't considered for a moment how many people would want to be included—he'd done almost none of the work up until now: Balin had taken over the mechanism plans, Ori had sketched out the blueprints, Oin had helped with the measurements, Dwalin had supplied blueprints already in the archives from dwarves who had previously attempted what they were trying now, Bofur had pulled together the best tools, and Thorin had just given him some of the purest mithril found on Middle-earth.

But now it came down to Fili's part—and Fili was certain that Thorin could have taken on the job, but the King was incredibly understanding and insisted that Fili be the one to do it—and he looked over the materials he'd been given.

"Mahal, bless this work," Fili whispered.

* * *

"Where are we going?" Kili grumbled with a half grin as Fili pulled him along the gravelly road out of Erebor's front gates.

"I told you," Fili said, shifting the strap of the bundle which was slung across his shoulder and down his chest, "we're adventuring."

Kili rolled his eyes, but complied, walking quickly behind Fili's long strides. When they finally came to a gathering of trees, Fili stopped in his tracks and unloaded the extremely long pack from his back.

"There's really no ceremonious way to do this," The blonde dwarf said, scratching the back of his head. "So… this is for you."

Kili eyed the pack with uncertainty, glancing at his brother as he knelt down and pulled at the strings closing the top. He reached his good hand into the pack and withdrew something long and smooth. After pulling it out all the way, Kili snorted as he understood what it was.

"It's a bow." The younger dwarf said with a sneer, handing it to Fili.

"It's yours," Fili said with a roll of his eyes, pushing the bow back into Kili's hands. "But I've… changed it."

Kili's lips pursed as he took a look at the middle of the bow. "What's this?" He asked, pointing to the bulky leather bundle wound around the center of the bow.

"It's a hand grip." Fili said, stepping closer. "I took your hand measurements from your plaster cast." He took the bow from his brother's hands and reached for Kili's left hand.

"What are you doing?" Kili said in exasperation—Fili realized Kili wasn't asking _what_ he was doing so much as _why_ he was doing all of this. He didn't answer the irked dwarf and pulled Kili's hand toward the grip when Kili pulled his hand away and took a step back.

"Please, don't…" Kili said with a grimace. Fili could see the hurt in his brother's eyes, the recognition that there was a risk Fili's contraption wouldn't work. Risk meant there was a possibility of failure and Fili understood that Kili wasn't sure he was ready to face another failure.

"Trust me," Fili whispered, taking a slow step forward. "Please…"

After a shuddering breath, Kili looked into his brother's eyes and nodded, lips pressed into a line as he offered his left hand again. Fili gripped his brother's hand gently, sliding the awkward fingers into the leather glove attached to the bow grip. He saw the look of surprise on Kili's face as the hand slipped perfectly into the glove.

"There's metal," Kili uttered with a quirk of his brow.

"There's leather on the inside to protect your skin, but there's a metal reinforcement behind it to keep your fingers in place." Fili explained as he worked the buckle of a strap around Kili's wrist. "And there's leather on top of that so it doesn't glint in the sunlight."

"It's so light," Kili mused, moving his wrist around and finding that his entrapped hand would not be sliding out despite the harsh movements. "What did you use?"

Fili shook his head. "Not saying. Not until you've used it and say that you like it." This earned an expression from Kili that said, _you're so odd_, but Fili was determined not to let Kili shy away from his chance at using his favored weapon and Fili was sure the mention of mithril would have set him off.

"Arrow?" Kili cleared his throat as he received one in his good hand. He set the shaft along the sighting, notching the end, and without raising the bow he pulled the arrow against the string, testing the amount of strain his hand could take.

Fili savored the look of surprise when Kili's eyes widened—the weight of the bow decreased as he pulled the string further.

"How did you do that?" Kili said in absolute awe. Fili realized his brother had only just noticed the wheels set at each end of the bow.

"It's a pulley system," The blonde dwarf answered with a prideful smile. "Got the idea from the front gates." He shook his head. "It's long and complicated, but the point is that exertion is not as necessary as before. You'll need to pull it back to a certain point, but all of the weight will release as you sight up your target."

Kili held the bow up experimentally, aiming for a tree and letting out a wavering breath.

_Thunk!_ Before Fili was even aware his brother had been ready to loose his arrow, it sunk into the knot of a tree fifty steps away.

"Mahal…" Kili breathed, eyes wide. He glanced at the bow and then back at his brother. "Did you see that?"

Fili nodded, laughing and clapping Kili on the back before bending over to hand him another arrow.

"Do it again."

Kili moved quicker this time and sent an arrow flying at the same mark, hitting just beside the previous arrow. Whooping and jumping like children, the two dwarves embraced each other and clamored for more.

* * *

Thorin hadn't _meant_ to spy on his nephews when they left the gates, but he couldn't help himself from watching them from his balcony at the side of the mountain. Even from that distance, he could see them and hear their crowing as Kili spent his arrows on a tree. If he'd had wings, Thorin would have flown to them instantly and crushed their bones with an embrace.

Fili had done it. He'd brought Kili back. It was worth every coin of gold and every jewel Thorin possessed to see his nephew come back to life.

Thorin's eyes followed them as they trotted back up the hill towards the gate, coming closer to his balcony with every step.

"…to tell me?" He heard Kili say.

"It wasn't my idea," Fili said in reply, "Thorin supplied it."

"Supplied what?" Kili said with one of his famous smiles, proof that a despaired weight had left him, and smacking Fili's shoulder. "What's the big secret?"

"It's mithril." Fili said, ducking another of Kili's swats.

Kili stopped dead in his tracks. "He what?"

Fili shook his head, turning back to face his brother. "He said he wasn't sure what weight your hand could endure, so he didn't want to take any chances on it being too heavy."

"Oh, Mahal…" Kili said, looking like he wanted to vomit.

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**Yay for improvised compound bows! :D I'm an archer myself, so I can totally understand how devastating it would be to have that taken away :( But Fili's a crafty fellow and had plenty of help.**

**Not sure where else to take this story, so I'll leave it as is for right now- maybe I'll add it in the future if I think of anything- but anyone wanting to take over is very welcome to continue! (And I encourage you to do so!)**

**Thank you for reading through, thank you for all the compliments and reviews, they really mean a lot to me. Be sure to read some of my other stories and show them a little love ;)**


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